


Ice Princess

by Serie11



Series: Femslash February 2018 [16]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Magic, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 13:24:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13741839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11
Summary: In an antechamber, Ikrie prepares herself to meet her future wife - Princess Aloy of the Nora.In the main hall, Aloy wonders what Princess Ikrie of the mountains will be like.





	Ice Princess

Ikrie smoothed her dress nervously, running her hands along the cool blue fabric. It was ruffled in a ridiculous amount of layers, and she was certain that she was going to trip over them and make a fool of herself sometime tonight.

Tonight. The day when she would meet her future intended, and be presented to the nobles of her court. Ikrie had travelled down from the high mountains to marry Aloy of the Nora Kingdom to solidify the alliance between Nora and Banuk. There were a lot of things that Ikrie knew she would have to learn quickly, but she welcomed the challenge. It was daunting, but it was a way that she could provide her people with the certainty of supplies in the hard, cold, winter.

Even though she had grown up as a hunter – all Banuk had to work to survive in the mountains, even the royalty – she had been taught Nora ways and customs in preparation for this day. So she knew that Princess Aloy would be a warrior and a talented horse rider. Being raised under a regency after her parents had died, Princess Aloy had grown up with the eyes of the whole kingdom on her.

Ikrie had read letters of Princess Aloy’s achievements, and could only hope that the princess saw something in her that would allow their partnership to flourish, as well as trade and commerce between the two kingdoms.

Ikrie allowed her hair to be fussed over by her two maids. They pulled it up into a style that Ikrie knew was favoured here in Nora. Ikrie thought it looked silly. She sighed. She would have to get used to these things, sooner rather than later.

A trumpet sounded in the distance, and Ikrie stood up. When she left her rooms, a page by the door led her towards the antechamber where she would wait until she was called. When the page left, she was alone.

Ikrie took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She could feel her ice magic nipping at her fingers, but she refused to let it out. The Nora disliked mages, and Ikrie didn’t want their first impression of her to be one associated with magic.

“Princess Ikrie of Banuk!”

The doors opened, and Ikrie glided forward smoothly, imagining that she was travelling along an ice path in the mountains, her gait smooth, unhalting and steady. She would walk up to the head of the table, where she would take her place by Princess Aloy’s side. Regent Teersa was seated at the head of the table, and would be until the princess was married and became the queen.

Ikrie stared straight ahead and tried not to feel flustered as the entire attention of the room turned to her. The Nora favoured fur and leather, even in their most formal settings, which was why Ikrie’s dress was rimmed with fox fur from the mountains, an attempt to acknowledge Nora ways while still distinguishing herself from them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that there was a lot more leather and fur than she had been expecting. This _was_ a formal event, wasn’t it?

Of course, looking at Princess Aloy, there could be no doubt. Ikrie’s eyes widened as she traced the noble lines of her dress. It was scandalously short, ending at her knees, and the rest of her legs were covered with soft leather. It should have looked ridiculous, but Ikrie felt dull in comparison.

The seat by Aloy’s side was empty. Aloy had stood to when Ikrie had entered the room, and as Ikrie took her place beside her, Aloy gave her a nod. Her cheeks were dusted with freckles, and Ikrie had to use all her court training to resist laughing. They were adorable.

“Welcome, Princess,” Aloy said, her voice ringing out over the gathered audience. “It is my pleasure to invite you to this meeting, and to host you at my hearth.”

Ikrie was startled as the gathered Nora banged their cups on the table and shouted their agreement for a few seconds. It died down quite quickly, which also surprised her. It felt routine. Was that something that the Nora did regularly?

“Serve the first meal,” Aloy commanded. On her other side, Regent Teersa looked at the princess fondly. Was she a regent in name only? Ikrie felt like Aloy had the most control over this situation.

“Good evening,” Aloy said, turning to her.

“Good evening,” Ikrie managed to say.

“I know that in the mountains you don’t usually do things like this,” Aloy said, nodding out to the hall. “But we Nora like to eat food while we’re thinking about something new. So, just because no one can talk at you, doesn’t mean that they’re not looking.”

“Thank you for the advice,” Ikrie says.

“Aloy,” Regent Teersa said. “Why don’t you welcome our guest?”

Aloy’s mouth quirked, just a tiny bit. Ikrie couldn’t help but stare at it. Maybe she and Aloy weren’t so different, after all.

“Of course,” Aloy said. “Princess Ikrie. Thank you for travelling here, and agreeing to the alliance.”

“Thank you for proposing it,” Ikrie said. “I hope for a bright future between our kingdoms.”

“Nothing would please me more,” Aloy said, nodding. “Be glad that you get to share the high dais with Teersa and I. Trust me, some of the nobles here can be pretty wild.”

“I can deal with wild,” Ikrie said confidently.

Aloy smiled. “Good,” she said. “You’re going to need to be able to. Let me point out a few nobles.”

All in all, Ikrie’s presentation to the Nora people didn’t go much like how she’d expected. But it definitely could have gone worse.

* * *

 

The next day, Aloy invited her out to the woods.

“We don’t have to go on horseback,” Aloy said. “I know that you don’t ride horses in the mountains.”

“It’s far too steep,” Ikrie confirmed.

“Well, you need to learn how to ride, but that can wait for the moment.”

After dinner last night, Aloy had taken Ikrie on her arm and had introduced her to the people who she had pointed out the day before. Ikrie was still trying to remember names and titles and where each person came from. So she was reassured when she realised that the only people accompanying her and Aloy would be two of Aloy’s guards.

“This is Varl and Vala,” Aloy introduced them. “They’re my favourite guards, and children of the head of my guard, Sona. Both are very proficient at what they do.”

Vala had a bow, and Varl a spear. Aloy had a bow as well, but it looked different to Vala’s.

“We’ll just hang back so you can talk,” Varl said. His sister nodded in agreement.

“Let’s go then,” Aloy said. She was wearing lean leather trousers and a practical overcoat rimmed fashionably with fur. Ikrie thought that it would still do its job of keeping her warm.

“They let you leave the castle by yourself?” Ikrie gingerly asked. Aloy shrugged.

“We aren’t going outside the castle walls, so really there’s no danger. Varl and Vala are a symbol, more than anything. And if anyone bothers us, I can just ask one of them to drag them off.” Aloy shot a small smile in her direction. Ikrie suddenly realised that she was just as nervous as Ikrie. She tried to ignore her churning stomach.

Ikrie felt a lot easier in her normal clothes, bundled up for winter. She’d forgone her overcoat, since it wasn’t that cold really, especially compared to the weather that she was used to.

“I come out here to practise my archery and horse riding, really,” Aloy confessed. “And no one’s going to interrupt with that. After all, my strength is symbolic of the kingdom’s strength.”

“I’ve heard that you’re very good at both,” Ikrie said. Aloy snorted.

“I am. I’ve practised enough that I’d be offended if I wasn’t.”

The path leaned gradually closer and closer to the trees that rimmed the perimeter of the castle, just under the walls. Aloy didn’t hesitate as they made their way under the first few trees.

“Do you enjoy it?”

Aloy is silent for a minute as she ponders the question. “I have to enjoy it,” she finally says. “I think I’d go mad if I didn’t. It’s hard to tell, when this is the only option I have.”

Ikrie knows what that feels like.

“I have some skill with a bow as well,” she says. Her primary weapon in her home had been her sling. She had placed snow enchanted with her magic in it, and it froze whatever it touched.

“That’s good,” Aloy nodded. “That often can’t be taught. And you’re going to be expected to be good at the bow. It’s the symbol of Nora, after all.”

“I’m prepared to learn,” Ikrie confirmed.

Aloy rounded on her, and Ikrie stopped in the middle of the path, confused. Aloy looked at her searchingly.

“I want us to be happy together,” she said. “I know that this is an arranged marriage, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make something of it.” She pursed her lips. “Can you work with me, and aim for that goal?”

“I would be pleased to,” Ikrie said. “And I think I can be happy, here in Nora. Even though you wear more leather than I’d expected, and I still can’t believe how short your skirts were last night.”

Aloy grinned. “I get to make the rules, you know. No one can call me out on anything. The length of my skirt is probably going to be high fashion by summer.”

“I can see that you don’t quite care,” Ikrie commented carefully.

Aloy’s grin got wider. “I don’t,” she admitted. “I’ve never been able to connect with most people here at court. They all want something from me. You want something from me too, but I want something as well.” She tilted her head.

“… I suppose so,” Ikrie finally said. “Look, Aloy. I want this to go well, too. I don’t want either of us to be miserable, and I think that we’ll be able to work well together. After all, we’re already out by ourselves, talking to each other…” Ikrie smiled, just a little.

Aloy nodded decisively. “You’re right. Now come on, I want to show you the practise range! It’s got a bunch of cool targets that we can rig up for all different types of shooting.”

Aloy set off along the path. Ikrie slowly nodded to herself. Yes, this was doable.

Ikrie set off to join her.

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt was: Royalty AU
> 
> I'm back from my cruise, but a bit behind on my fics, ah. And with HZD week coming up, too! I'll just have to do some hard work to catch up, lol


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